SOCIAL NETWORKING FOR MOBILE DEVICES

• US 20080256170A1
• Filed: 06/16/2008
• Published: 10/16/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hayashi, Nathanael Joe, Quoc, Michael, Fukuda, Matthew, Wascovich, Dan, Tsang, Audrey Y., Ott, E. Stanley, Beattie, Russell
• Granted Patent: US 8,843,551 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9536 Search customisation based on social or collaborative filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

A mobile device, system, and method are directed towards enabling an integrated display of live views. The integrated live views are generated by employing social networking information, including moods of a person, avatars, status of a member'"'"'s activities including whether they are in an IM session, or the like. Integrated live views may include a live contact list, a group view, a friend view, an activity oriented view, a list of content, or the like, based on the mobile user'"'"'s social networking information. By providing the mobile user with integrated live views of their social network, the mobile user may be able communicate with other members within the mobile social networking context, to obtain, and respond to invites from a social network member, provide opportunities for activities to other members, to grow their social network, and to consume content that is displayed relative to their social network.

Claims

1. A system operative to manage a mobile communication, comprising:

a vitality data manager that is configured to perform actions, including;

receiving, from each social networking member in a plurality of social networking members, current vitality information about the respective social networking member;

receiving from each social networking member in a plurality of social networking members a sharing rule;

employing the received sharing rules to generate an aggregated current vitality representation of the plurality of social networking members; and

distributing the aggregated current vitality representation to the plurality of social networking members based further on the sharing rules; and

a live view manager that is configured to perform actions, including;

receiving the aggregated current vitality representation; and

displaying the aggregated current vitality representation to a respective social networking member.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the current vitality information about the respective social networking member includes a current mood of the respective social networking member.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the vitality data manager that is configured to perform further actions, including:

receiving as part of the current vitality information for each social networking member, a current location of the social networking member; and

based further on the received sharing rules, distributing the current location information of each social networking member to the plurality of social networking members.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the live view manager that is configured to perform further actions, including:

receiving the current location information for each social networking member, based on the sharing rules; and

displaying vitality information in ordered based on a proximity of each social networking member to a social networking member associated with a client device displaying the vitality information.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the live view manager is further configured to display vitality information about a subset of the plurality of social networking members organized based on a group view.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one sharing rule enables a respective social networking member to identify whether to share a subset of vitality information about the social networking member with one other social networking member, but not another social networking member.

7. A processor readable storage medium that includes data, wherein the execution of the data provides for managing a mobile communication over a network by enabling actions, including:

receiving from a plurality of social networking members, current vitality information about each of the respective social networking members, wherein each social networking member'"'"'s client device automatically filtered the provided current vitality information before sending the information based on at least one sharing rule;

employing the received sharing rules to generate an aggregated current vitality representation of the plurality of social networking members; and

distributing the aggregated current vitality representation to the plurality of social networking members;

distributing other non-aggregated current vitality information to the plurality of social networking members; and

enabling a client device to display the aggregated current vitality representation to a social networking member associated with the client device.

8. The processor readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the client device is further enabled to display at least the other non-aggregated current vitality information.

9. The processor readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the non-aggregated current vitality information comprises a current location of each social networking member.

10. The processor readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the display further comprises displaying aggregated current vitality representation or non-aggregated current vitality information, along with a social networking member'"'"'s identity, in a ordering based on a proximity to the client device.

11. The processor readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the display presents the aggregated current vitality representation or non-aggregated current vitality information in an integrated live view on the client device.

12. A network device to manage a mobile communication, comprising:

a transceiver to send and receive data over the network; and

a processor that is operative to perform actions, including;

receiving, from each social networking member in a plurality of mobile social networking members, current vitality information about the respective social networking member;

receiving from each mobile social networking member in a plurality of social networking members a sharing rule;

employing the received sharing rules to generate an aggregated current vitality representation of the plurality of social networking members; and

distributing the aggregated current vitality representation to the plurality of mobile social networking members based further on the sharing rules; and

enabling at least one mobile device to display the aggregated current vitality representation to a mobile social networking member associated with the mobile device.

13. The network device of claim 12, wherein the vitality information includes at least a current mood indication of the respective social networking member.

14. The network device of claim 12, wherein the aggregated current vitality representation represents an aggregated opinion of the social networking members.

15. The network device of claim 12, wherein the processor that is operative to perform further actions, including:

distributing non-aggregated current vitality information to the plurality of mobile social networking members based further on the sharing rules.

16. The network device of claim 15, wherein the processor that is operative to perform further actions, including:

enabling the client device to display a subset of the aggregated current vitality representation or non-aggregated current vitality information based on social grouping of at least some of the social networking members.

17. A method of managing a mobile communication over a network, comprising:

receiving, from each social networking member in a plurality of social networking members, current vitality information about the respective social networking member;

receiving from each social networking member in a plurality of social networking members a sharing rule;

employing the received sharing rules to generate an aggregated current vitality representation of the plurality of social networking members; and

distributing the aggregated current vitality representation and non-aggregated current vitality information to the plurality of social networking members based further on the sharing rules.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the aggregated current vitality representation or non-aggregated current vitality information are displayable at a client device based on a proximity of each social networking member to the client device displaying the information and representation.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the aggregated current vitality representation comprises at least one of a current mood of the plurality of social networking members, or an opinion of the plurality of social networking members.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the aggregated current vitality representation or non-aggregated current vitality information are displayable at a client device within an integrated live view.